Measurements of the light-absorbing material inside cloud droplets and its effect on cloud albedo

Most of the measurements of light-absorbing aerosol particles made previously have been in non-cloudy air and therefore provide no insight into aerosol effects on cloud properties. Here, researchers describe an experiment designed to measure light absorption exclusively due to substances inside cloud droplets, compare the results to related light absorption measurements, and evaluate possible effects on the albedo of clouds. The results of this study validate those of Twomey and Cocks and show that the measured levels of light-absorbing material are negligible for the radiative properties of realistic clouds. For the measured clouds, which appear to have been moderately polluted, the amount of elemental carbon (EC) present was insufficient to affect albedo. Much higher contaminant levels or much larger droplets than those measured would be necessary to significantly alter the radiative properties. The effect of the concentrations of EC actually measured on the albedo of snow, however, would be much more pronounced since, in contrast to clouds, snowpacks are usually optically semi-infinite and have large particle sizes

The transcriptome of Toxoplasma gondii

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii gives rise to toxoplasmosis, among the most prevalent parasitic diseases of animals and man. Transformation of the tachzyoite stage into the latent bradyzoite-cyst form underlies chronic disease and leads to a lifetime risk of recrudescence in individuals whose immune system becomes compromised. Given the importance of tissue cyst formation, there has been intensive focus on the development of methods to study bradyzoite differentiation, although the molecular basis for the developmental switch is still largely unknown. RESULTS: We have used serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to define the Toxoplasma gondii transcriptome of the intermediate-host life cycle that leads to the formation of the bradyzoite/tissue cyst. A broad view of gene expression is provided by >4-fold coverage from nine distinct libraries (~300,000 SAGE tags) representing key developmental transitions in primary parasite populations and in laboratory strains representing the three canonical genotypes. SAGE tags, and their corresponding mRNAs, were analyzed with respect to abundance, uniqueness, and antisense/sense polarity and chromosome distribution and developmental specificity. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that phenotypic transitions during parasite development were marked by unique stage-specific mRNAs that accounted for 18% of the total SAGE tags and varied from 1–5% of the tags in each developmental stage. We have also found that Toxoplasma mRNA pools have a unique parasite-specific composition with 1 in 5 transcripts encoding Apicomplexa-specific genes functioning in parasite invasion and transmission. Developmentally co-regulated genes were dispersed across all Toxoplasma chromosomes, as were tags representing each abundance class, and a variety of biochemical pathways indicating that trans-acting mechanisms likely control gene expression in this parasite. We observed distinct similarities in the specificity and expression levels of mRNAs in primary populations (Day-6 post-sporozoite infection) that occur prior to the onset of bradyzoite development that were uniquely shared with the virulent Type I-RH laboratory strain suggesting that development of RH may be arrested. By contrast, strains from Type II-Me49B7 and Type III-VEGmsj contain SAGE tags corresponding to bradyzoite genes, which suggests that priming of developmental expression likely plays a role in the greater capacity of these strains to complete bradyzoite development

Management of vaginal wall perforation during a second trimester dilation and evacuation

Background: We report an unusual case involving vaginal perforation associated with second trimester dilation and evacuation. Review of the literature fails to identify additional reports. Case: A 22 year G3P1011 female at 16 weeks gestation referred for evaluation following incomplete dilation and evacuation was found to have vaginal perforation, and communication with the peritoneal cavity on pelvic examination. Examination under anesthesia and laparoscopy confirmed multiple vaginal perforations with intraperitoneal defects and hematomas but no viscus involvement. Cervical dilation was accomplished with osmotic dilators placed under ultrasound guidance during exam under anesthesia, with evacuation completed approximately 16 hours later without further complication. Conclusion: This is the first case of vaginal perforation at time of dilation and evacuation reported in the literature. Laparoscopy should be performed to evaluate for intraabdominal injury to bowel, bladder and/or blood vessels. Use of osmotic dilators during the second trimester could potentially decrease the risk of vaginal perforation during the dilation portion of the procedure

Quantitative time-averaged gas and liquid distributions using x-ray fluorescence and radiography in atomizing sprays

A method for quantitative measurements of gas and liquid distributions is demonstrated using simultaneous x-ray fluorescence and radiography of both phases in an atomizing coaxial spray. Synchrotron radiation at 10.1 keV from the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory is used for x-ray fluorescence of argon gas and two tracer elements seeded into the liquid stream. Simultaneous time-resolved x-ray radiography combined with timeaveraged dual-tracer fluorescence measurements enabled corrections for reabsorption of x-ray fluorescence photons for accurate, line-of-sight averaged measurements of the distribution of the gas and liquid phases originating from the atomizing nozzle

Spacelike distance from discrete causal order

Any discrete approach to quantum gravity must provide some prescription as to how to deduce continuum properties from the discrete substructure. In the causal set approach it is straightforward to deduce timelike distances, but surprisingly difficult to extract spacelike distances, because of the unique combination of discreteness with local Lorentz invariance in that approach. We propose a number of methods to overcome this difficulty, one of which reproduces the spatial distance between two points in a finite region of Minkowski space. We provide numerical evidence that this definition can be used to define a `spatial nearest neighbor' relation on a causal set, and conjecture that this can be exploited to define the length of `continuous curves' in causal sets which are approximated by curved spacetime. This provides evidence in support of the ``Hauptvermutung'' of causal sets.Comment: 32 pages, 16 figures, revtex4; journal versio

Intrinsic Josephson Effect in the Layered Two-dimensional t-J Model

The intrinsic Josephson effect in the high-Tc superconductors is studied using the layered two-dimensional t-J model. The d.c.Josephson current which flows perpendicular to the t-J planes is obtained within the mean-field approximation and the Gutzwiller approximation. We find that the Josephson current has its maximum near the optimum doping region as a function of the doping rate.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure